Body-gauging hammer



1,527,183 J. A. GRAY I BODY GAUGING HAMMER bri'ginal Filed Aug. 25, 1920 Patented eb. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. GRAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BODY-GAUGING HAMMER.

Application filed August 25, 1920, Serial No. 405,810. Renewed July 14, 1924.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, JAMES A. GRAY, a citi- Zen ofthe United States, residing in thecity and in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Body-Gauging Hammers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to machines for making can bodies and has more particular reference to machines of this character adapted to produce a can body having a locked side seam. Bodies thus formed are frequently provided with overlapping soldered parts at the ends of a centrally locked side seam portion, which overlapping parts permit of the outward flauging of the body ends for the reception of a cover to be double seamed thereto. lVhen so constructed it is particularly desirable that the seamed edges be in accurate registration so that the edge of the flange may be continuous and of even diameter.

It is a principal object of my present invention to provide means for positively producing accurate registration of the edges entering into the seam, and this prior to the side seam closing action of the hammer usually provided. In this connection it should be noted that I do not intend to restrict the use of the invention merely to machines manufacturing cans intended to be closed by double seaming a cover thereto, since manifestly the invention has valuableuse in cans otherwise constructed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for accomplishing this object, which will be of simple, economical construction and which will not add appreciably to the complexity or cost of the body maker.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of means for accomplishing this result which may be installed in body makers already in use without appreciable reconstruction or readjustment thereof.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following de scription, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing,

Figure 1 is a detail View showing a portion of a body forming horn and hammer, the means for providing for the accurate registration of the overlapping can edges be ing shown in section, the arrangement of the parts being that assumed before the hammer stroke;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the parts at the end of the hammer stroke;

Fig. 3 is a section taken through the face plate attached to the end of the hammer;

Fig. 4 is an elevation thereof;

Fig. 5 is asection taken vertically through the plunger or registering member; and

Fig. (3 is an elevation thereof.

For the purpose of illustrating my inven tion I have shown on the drawing a portion of a body forming horn 11 about which a body blank 12 is adapted to be wrapped and the hooked edges interlocked, and also a portion of a seam closing hammer 13, the construction of which will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. The end of the hammer proper is cut away to provide a recess 14 having a shoulder 15 at the top and an outwardly protruding rib l6 thereabove. A slight boss 17 is formed upon the face of the end of the hammer below the recess. A facing or end plate 18 having a recess 19 for receiving the boss 17 and a recess 21 adapted to register with the recess 14 is provided and is adapted to be fixed to the end of the hammer by a screw 22 or other suitable fastening devices. The upper inner corner of the facing plate is cut away to provide a cam surface 23.

A spring pressed plunger or protruding registering member 24:, having an enlarged foot 25 providing upper shoulders 26, is seated in the space provided between the facing plate and the end, the foot 25 resting in the combined recess 21 and 14C. The plunger 24: has also a cam face 27 adapted to rest upon the cam face 23 when the plunger is in elevated position as will be presently described. The plunger also has a vertical recess 28 on its inner face, in which may seat the rib 16 of the hammer end.

An aperture 29 extends from the face of the recess 1% to the lower side of the hammer and is closed by a screw plug 31. A spring 32 is positioned behind the screw plug and enters a sleeve or thimble 33 which is pressed by the spring against the foot 25 of the plunger so that this plunger is normally til) the horn stroke or at least before the seam" This upperclosing blow has been struck. face is curved, as indicated at 34, for engagement with the horn. As the hammer ascends orother relative movement is produced between the horn and hammer the )lun 'er is forced back or down into the hammer causing the camsurfaces 23 and 27 to slide over each other and the plungerto be swungor' moved transversely of the hammer blow and toward the body blank. This movement is such that the overlapping edges or material adjacent the overlapping edges is engaged and the whole blank pushed toward the right viewing the figure. In order that the actualcorner of the blankmay not be engaged, the recess 28 extends clear to the top of the plunger so that the engagement is adjacent the overlapping edges rather than exactly at them. Further upward movement of the hammer results in the striking of the blow at which time the whole blank has been movedslightly toward the right and the edgesas an incident to such movement brought to accurate registration. The construction of the registering means is such that by operating upon the end of the usual hammer of a body maker the device may be installed and itsoperation produced without other reformation or. readjustment of other parts of the apparatus.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form herei-nbe'forc described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim: 7 1. In'an'apparatus for making can bodies, the combination of a horn about which a body blank is Wrapped, a seam closing ham mer, andn'ieans movable edgewise relative to said blank and acting prior to said seam closing hammer for bringing the edges forming the can seam into accurate "registration. 2. In an apparatus-for making can bodies, the combination ota horn about which a body blank is wrappecha seam closing hammer, and means carried by the body form-- ing hammer for bringing the edges forming the can seam into accurate registratiom 3. In an apparatus for making can bodies, the combination of a horn about which the body blank is wrapped, a seam closing hammer movable toward the horn,- and means engaging the overlapping edges of the body blank and advancing them immediately prior to the action of said hammer.

4. In an apparatus for making can bodies, the combination of a horn about which a body blank is wrapped, a seam closinghammer movable toward the horn, and means carriedby the hammerand having a movement transversely of the hammer stroke for bringing the overlapped edges forming the seam into registration.

5. In an apparatus for making can bodies, the combination of a horn about'which the body blank is wrapped, a seam closing hammer, aspring-pressed member protruding from the hammer and adapted to be thrust thereinto by the hammer stroke, said hammer and member having interengaging surfaces causing the protruding end of the member to move transversely of the hammer stroke to bring the overlapping seaming edges into accurate registration.

6. In an apparatus for making can bodies, the combination of a horn about which the body blank is wrapped, a seam closing hammer, and atiltable springpressecl protruding memberada-pted to engage the horn in advance of the'hammer blow and be pressed back into the hammer, and means for swinging said member transversely of the hammer stroke to bring the overlapping seaming edges into registration.

7 i In an apparatus for making can bodies, the combination of a horn about which the body blank is wrapped, a seam closing hammer, a plate fixed on the end and movable with said seam closing hammer and providing a recess between itself and the ends of said hammer, a spring-pressed plunger mounted insaid recess and protruding above the hammer and interengaging cam surfaces on the plate and plunger for moving the plunger transversely of the ham mer stroke as it is thrust inwardly as the result of engagement with the horn.

8. The combination with a horn and a reciprocating element movable laterally to and from the horn for uniting the edges of sheet metal, of a gauge for engaging the edge of the sheet *Inet-al, and au-ton'iatic means for moving the gauge 'to the edge of the sheet metal,and moving the latteralong the horn if it should be out of )lace.

. AMES A. GRAY. 

